How does Shelley respond to the Utilitarian argument that science and political economy are more useful to society than poetry?
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Correct answer: Without poetry, science and reason stay unorganized and cannot serve human happiness
Shelley acknowledges the value of political economy and mechanical science, but stresses that their insights are useless without the poetic faculty. He writes that we have 'more moral, political and historical wisdom, than we know how to reduce into practice.' Poetry provides the moral and imaginative framework necessary to absorb and apply scientific knowledge for the true benefit of humanity.
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More A Defence of Poetry questions
- In 'A Defence of Poetry', what does Shelley claim is the secret of moral goodness?
- According to Shelley, can an individual simply decide to write great poetry through conscious willpower and effort?
- What distinction does Shelley make between a 'story' (like a historical account) and a 'poem'?
- How does Shelley view the moralizing approach in poetry, such as when a poet intentionally crafts a poem to teach a specific ethical lesson?
- In 'A Defence of Poetry', what does Shelley say about the translation of true poetry into another language?
- How does Shelley view the historical progression of poetry throughout different eras of human civilization?